On behalf of the Affiliate Committee, I want to thank the many affiliates who took the time to fill out the annual survey and provide feedback on KTB's programs and services. We want you to know that the KTB board, staff and Affiliate Committee have reviewed the results at length and are already taking steps to provide our network with the requested support and resources needed to make Texas the most beautiful state in the nation. We are continuing to add funding resources to the Resource Library, and will be highlighting programs and services in each issue of Community Strong for affiliates to take advantage of. We have added additional share-a-project information from fellow affiliates and are meeting with several potential partners with the goal of increasing program and education opportunities. In the coming months, toolkits and resources will be added to the Affiliate tab, and we will continue to seek out corporate and grant funding to expand services for our affiliates.

We want to hear from you! Please continue to send us feedback on how we can better serve you and your community. You may contact Christine Chute Canul, staff liaison to the Affiliate Committee. Thank you for your time, and we are looking forward to a great 2012!

These days more and more eco-conscious consumers are dreaming of a green Christmas. If you’re looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint this holiday season, consider these tips from Keep Temple Beautiful.

•Use Sustainable Gift Wrap: Consider saving and re-using holiday wrapping paper just as your grandmother once did. Or wrap your gifts in pretty fabric that can be used for other purposes. In my family, we re-gift gift bags again and again. Pillowcases can also make pretty gift wraps if done correctly along with newspaper.

•Decorate with Energy-Efficient Lighting: While many people still use standard incandescent holiday bulbs, decorative LED lights are now available in a variety of holiday shapes and colors. In addition to having a much longer life span than standard lights, LEDs also reduce fire risks because they stay cool to the touch. This would be one of the areas where you might spend a little more upfront, but save in the long run. Want to be even greener? Use light-sensor timers to turn your lights on and off.

•Give Consumable Gifts: Most of us don’t need any more stuff we’re all “stuffed out.” So consider giving the gift of services instead, or goods that can be consumed. Some ideas include massages, pedicures, tickets to sporting events, gift certificates for restaurants and other similar pampering treats. Other options would be to give consumable gifts that keep on giving all year long like a membership to a Wine of the Month Club or a monthly delivery of seasonal fruits grown locally. Being green (eco-conscious) during Christmas does not mean you have to be any less generous.

•Make a Donation in Someone’s Name: If someone has a passion in life, giving to an organization that supports their cause can be very meaningful. Whether you donate a flock of chicks to support a hungry family through Heifer International or fund the planting of trees through Keep Temple Beautiful, you will be giving a gift that gives back and helps preserve the environment at the same time.

•Give the Gift of Time: Schedule time to get together with friends and family for cookie exchanges or other meaningful holiday events. We do have the ability as individuals and families to bring whatever intention to this season that we want. So we can share meals and share time with one another, and if we’d like to give each other gifts, we can do that too.

•Treecyle: If you have a cut tree, check with your local municipality to find out if they will accept it for recycling. More than 30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States each year, but more than 90 percent are being recycled for mulch or chipped and used in parks and other public spaces. The City of Temple provides free treecycling service after the holidays. For more details, contact the Solid Waste Department.

From our family to yours, Keep Temple Beautiful wishes you a green Merry Christmas and an eco-conscious New Year!

When we think of Christmas we also think of green and no, not the green you’ll be spending on gifts but more like the idea of being “green” this holiday season that will help cut down on your spending. Since household waste increases by 25 percent during the holidays which means more material headed to landfills it is good to be conscientious (green) this season.  Recycling always helps.

For instance, instead of purchasing wrapping paper, newspaper can be used to wrap those special gifts. I always like to wrap my gifts with the comics section since it is so colorful. It makes your gift look festive and it’s good for the environment. Don’t forget that the wrapping from gifts you receive can also be saved and reused.

Another tip for cutting down on holiday waste is recycling a Christmas tree.  After the holiday the city accepts live Christmas trees that can be chipped into mulch. Residents can take their trees to the recycling centers located on 3015 Bullseye Lane or 602 Jack Baskin Drive. This is free of charge to the public. For more information contact the City of Temple’s Solid Waste department.

Remember these key elements in greening your Christmas; reduce, reuse, recycle. Reduce waste by giving gifts that require little packaging i.e. gift certificates, tickets, music lessons etc. The less you purchase or bring home the less waste you generate. Reuse what you have by wrapping gifts in recycled paper and compost leftover food or even donate unwanted presents to a charity.  Recycling can be maximized by checking labels to determine a gift’s recyclability or if it’s made from recycled materials. At your next holiday party, set up a place where guest can recycle including them in your “green” holiday spirit. Since caring for the environment is incumbent on all of us, for your New Year’s resolution make a commitment to recycle year round both at home and at work.

All throughout the year, Keep Temple Beautiful has brought the public projects and programs that teach green living. So here’s the last green lesson of the year… A clean city is more than an environmental statement it is an economical statement, help keep Temple beautiful and have yourself a green little Christmas.
For more information on Keep Temple Beautiful, go to www.keeptemplebeautiful.org or contact Tanya Gray at (254) 493-4000.

Keep Temple Beautiful encourages communities, businesses and individuals to attend the upcoming, November 16th Eco-Lunch & Learn, 12pm at the Temple Chamber of Commerce on 2 N. 5th Street. Join guest speaker Beth Correa with Central Texas Council of Governments to discuss the Household Hazardous Waste initiative and how the organization promotes a sustainable community.

The Eco-Lunch & Learn is designed to encourage others to use their lunch time to make environmentally-conscious decisions.With a complimentary catered lunch, topics of education pertinent to your objective, a great opportunity to network, and great door prizes these sessions provide fresh and inspiring insight into green choices, helping people to make more considered and confident green living choices for the future.

For more information, contact Tanya Gray at (254) 493-4000.

On Veterans Day, November 11th at 10am, Keep Temple Beautiful (KTB) is launching its new “Recycle On The Go” program with a kick-off event at Central Fire Station located at 210 N. 3rd Street. As part of the award from PepsiCo, Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful’s Dream Machine initiative, KTB is placing recycling bins at area Fire Departments, schools and businesses in Temple. This closed loop system focuses on capturing single-use containers to aid in increasing recycling rates by keeping these items out of the trash and putting them back into the reprocessing stream. Currently less than a third of plastic beverage containers are being recycled each year and only 12 percent of public spaces are equipped with recycling receptacles.

For all bottles and cans recycled in the “Recycle On The Go” program, funding will be provided to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program. The EBV project was first created by the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. It is designed to provide training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with disabilities resulting from their military service. The mission of this program is to open the door to business ownership for our veterans, by developing skills that relate to the many steps associated with launching and growing a small business. Today the EBV is offered by a network of world-class business schools across the U.S., that includes Syracuse University, Texas A&M University, Florida State University, UCLA, Purdue University, University of Connecticut, and Louisiana State University.

As stated by, Executive Director, Tanya Gray, “Recycle On The Go is not only a great program for the City of Temple because it promotes awareness and encourages the community to become more environmentally friendly but it is also creating opportunities for our military. It is a great way to give back to those who have already given so much and allows us to help the environment.”
This event is free and open to the public so please join us in this worthwhile endeavor. If your business or organization is interested in participating in the “Recycle On The Go” program contact Tanya Gray at (254) 493-4000.

When: Wednesday, September 21
Where: Temple Chamber of Commerce, 2 North 5th Street 
Time: 12 noon

Join Keep Temple Beautiful for possibly the most important Eco Lunch & Learn event to date. Hear Dirk Aaron with Clearwater Underground Water Conservation District speak about the current drought conditions and become educated on the principles, technology and practices of water conservation and water resource programs. 

Environmental education can have a positive impact in any setting. For individuals and businesses looking to engage in environmental education our Eco Lunch & Learns are perfect tools to get the message out that it is easy being green. Each session raises awareness providing tools to improve both home and work environments. They are free to the public and each session is 1 hour in length with a 20 to 30 minute presentation followed by a 15 to 20 minute question and answer period. Lunch will be provided by Chipotle for attendees and two lucky participants will be the winners of a door prize!

For more information or to play a role in future Eco Lunch & Learns, please contact Tanya Gray at (254) 493-4000.